Mineeal oils



(No Model.) 4 Sheets8heet 1.

N. M. HENDERSON. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING 0R REFINING MINERAL OILS.

No. 340,878. Patented A r. 27,1886.

rum.

gr y I (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. I

N. M. HENDERSON. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING 0R RE FINING MINERAL OILS.

Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

4Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

N. M. HENDERSON.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLINQ 0R REFINING MINERAL OILS.

No. 340,878. 'Patent ed'Apr. 27,183

(No Model.) 4 Sheets--Sheet 4.

N. M. HENDERSON. APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING 0R REPINING MINERAL OILS.

No. 340,878. Patented Apr. 27, 1886.

' drical stills placed. near together and heated- UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICEO NORMAN M. HENDERSON, OF BROXBURN, COUNTY OF LIN LITHGOW,-

SCOTLAND.

APPARATUS FOR DISTILLING OR'REFIN'ING MINERAL- OILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent (No model.) Patented in England February 1, 1883, No. 540.

Application filed June 11, 1885. Serial No. 102,344.

.To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NORMAN MAcFARLANE HENDERSON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of Broxburn, in the county of Linlithgow, Scotland, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for Distilling or Refining Mineral Oils, (for which I have obtained a British, Patent dated February 1, 1883. N o. 540,) of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to the distillatory processes employed in refining-mineral oils; and its object is to simplify and improve the processes and apparatus and to render the operations more continuous and'more uniform in their results than as hitherto con-' ducted. I

My improved processes and apparatus also reduce the cost of plant, fuel, and labor.

Myinvention may be applied in the treatment of .various kinds of mineral oils and at various stages of the refining operations.

In one arrangement of my improved apparatus suitable for treating shale or coal-oil after it has undergone one distillation, subse: quent to its attainment by destructive distillation from the shale or coal, there are arranged in connection four horizontal cylinby ordinary furnaces. Oil is continuously fed into'the lirst still, and portions of the oil continuousl y flow from the first still into the second, from the second into either the third or fourth, andfrom the third or fourth into one or more residue-stills, and in each still the inlet is keptas far separated as possible from the outlet leading to the next still. The inlets are also placed at higher levels than the outlets, and both inlets and outlets are provided with special safety-valves hereinafter particularly described. Each still is formed with the usual dome or vapor-chest,into which the volatilized oil rises, and-from which it passes by a purvedbranch into a long horizontal cylinder or pipe, wherein its heat is.

utilized in raising the temperatureof the oil which is being continuously fed into the first of the three stillsr These feed-heating cylinders are of special construction, hereinafter particularly described, and which is such as to render impossible the mixing of any of the No. 340,878, dated April 2'7, 1886.

thethree stills, and the distillation proceeds continuously, the temperature maintained in the second still being higher thanin the first, and that in the third or fourth higher than in the second. Consequently the oils vaporized in the several stills are of different specific gravities; but the oil vaporized in or distilled over from each still is always of one quality or specific gravity so long as the feed and the heats applied to the several stills are'suitabl y regulated. In each still the lighter ormore volatile constituents of the oil rise and are vaporized, whilethe heavier constituents draw to the bottom, and are transferred thence to the next still in order.

stills are both for the third distillatory stage,

one being in action while the other is being;

cleaned. In the third and fourth stills, where there is a tendency for coke or adhesive carbonaceous matter to separate from the oil, there are fitted inside of the stills certain plates or dishes, to promote the circulation of the oil, and to form receptacles for the coke, so t-hatit may not adhere to the bottoms of the stills. These dishes or circulating-plates extend along each still on each side of its 1ongitudinal central plane with a middle' space between them. Their bottoms are shaped so as to be nearly parallel to or concentric with The third and fourth the bottom shell of the still, and the'oil in eirculating passes from the middle under the dishes or plates and up the sides of the still, returning downward from the sides toward the middle, and this circulation is assisted and insured by jets of steam issuing from perforations in the sides of a pipe extending along the still nearthe middle of the bottom. 'It' found necessary or desirable, the circulating plates or dishes may be applied to the second still, and even to the first. Two or more residue-stills are, by preference, provided in con nection with each set of three connected stills, in order that while one of the residue-stills is being cleaned out there may be no interruption in the continuous action of the three stills.

Instead of heating the oil supplied to the first still by means of the vapor-feed heaters, as hereinbefore described, or in addition to 2 steers 5 Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings is a plan, and Fig. 2 on Sheet 2 is a back elevation, of a set of four stills with one of the residuestills. Fig. 3 on Slieet3 is a front elevation partly in section. Figs. 4. and 5 on Sheets are enlarged longitudinal and transverse vertical sections representing the third and fourth stills, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of one of the feed-heaters. In these drawings the same reference-numer- In the arrangement shown in the drawings there are four horizontal cylindrical stills, 11 12 13 13, placed near together in a suitable building and heated by ordinary'i'urnaces, 14, a. convenient size for these stills being seven feet in diameter by about nineteen :feet in length. The fire-place oi each furnace, or the space immediately over the grate, is arched over, and the fire-gases pass through lateral openings 15, Fig. 3, into a heating-chamber, 16, in which they act directly on the still, and from one end of which they passoff downward by lateral fines 17 (indicatedoy dotted lines in Fig. 2) to a'maiu underground flue leading to the chimney. V

Each still is fitted with an outlet or discharge pipe, 13, in the bottom at one end, and in the second, third, and fourth stills, 12 13 13', an inlet-pipe, 19, enters the same end at a higher level, but is continued inside the still to the other end, so that the actual inlet may be as far as possible from the outlet. The orifices inside the stills of both the inlet and outlet pipes 19 18 open or face upward, and plugvalves 20 are provided within the stills for closing them when necessary, these valves 20 consisting of conical loaded valves attached to vertical rods 21, which pass out through studjug-hoses in the tops of the stills, and are ordinarily held up by any simple appliance which can he disconnected at a moments no- Thus in the stop-cocks, 22 23, or any pipe connections or joints getting out of order the safety-valves 20 can be instantly closed, so as to prevent leakage of the oil. Each still is formed with the usual dome or vapor-chest, 24;,into which the volatilized oil rises, and from which it passes by a curved branch, 25, into a long horizontal cylinder or ipe,

tice to allow the valves to close. event of the external 26, wherein its heat is utilized in raising the temperature of theoil which is being continuously fed into the first, 11, of the stills.

As,shown in Fig. 6,each feed-heating cylinder 26 is a cylindrical pipe with flanged ends, with an inlet, 25, at one end for the vapor, and with an outlet, 27, for the same at the side near the-other end, this outlet 27 being in a curved branch communicating with the pipe 28,which leads the vapor to the condenser. Within the outer pipe, 26, there is fixed an init may be heated by heals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever they are repeated.

ner pipe, 29, the inner end of which is closed,

while its outer end is'iormed with or has.

tightly fixed to it by srewing, a flange, 30, by means of which a tight joint is formed with the flange at the outlet end of the outer pipe, 26. The outer end of the inner pipe, 29, is closed by a plate, 31, which has fixed through it a short pipe, 32,, extending only a short distance inward, and a longer pipe, 33, which extends almost to the inner end, and the feed-oil is admitted by the shorter pipe 32, and passes oil by being subjected to the heating action of the vapor passing between the outer cylindrical pipe, 26, and the inner one, 29. The feed-oil passes through the heaters 26 of all the stills, being led from one to the other through pipes 34 34' 35 36, and finally passing by a pipe, 37, into the first still, 11, the pipe dipping ashort istance below the surface of the oil in that still. While the distillation is proceeding continuously in the stills 11, 12, 13, or 13', there is a continuous transference of oil from the first still, 11, to the second still, 12, by a pipe, 38, connecting the outlet-pipe 13 of the first still to the inlet-pipe 19 of the second still. Similarly, there is a continuous transi'erence of oil from the second still, 12, by a pipe, 39 or 39', either to the third still, 13, or

to the fourth still, 13, and "from the third or fourth still, 13 or 13, by a pipe, 40 or all), to one or more residue-stills, il. gravity of the or 13 the surface-levels of the oil will he at correspondingly dili'erent levels. When operating upon an average quality of shale-oil with stills of the size shown ,in the drawingsthat is, of seven feet diameter, I believe the best 'working-levelsare fi yei'eet, four and onehalf feet, and four feetl' respectively, in the stills 11,12, 13, or 13,15 As there is a tendency i'or coke or carbonaceous adhesive matter to separaterin the third still, 13, a fourth still mi and connections are provided to allow ofeitherstill 13 or 13 being cleaned, thus enabling the apparatus to work without interruption. 1f the still 13 is in use, the stopcocks 22 23 are closed,'and the oil is transierred through the pipes 40 40 to the residuestills 41; but when the still 13' is in use the stop-cocks 22 23 are closed and the stop-cocks 22' 23 opened, the oil heing then transferred directly from the still 12 through the pipe 39 to the still 13', from which it passes through the stop-cock 22' and pipe 40. to the residuestill 41.

The residuestill 41 is at slower level than the other stills, and the stop-cocks on the pipes 40 40, leading to it, are in practice to he adjusted to allow of such'a flow from either of the thirdstage stills 13 or 13 as will cause the levels mentioned to he maintained without much variation. The heats applied to the several stills must also be regulated to suit the difierent qualities or specific gravities of oil which "is found in practice to be most advantageously volatilized in each still. It will, however, be

the longer one 33, after As the specific oil varies in the stills 11, 12, 13,.

ates-7e 3 obvious to those conversant with the refining of mineral oils that the rates of feed and of flow of the oil through the stills, the levels in the several stills, and the heats applied will in 5 practice have to be adjusted to suit the par-- still, 12, if found desirable.

ticular oil operated upon in each case.

The dishes or plates 42, for promoting circulation and for collecting coke, and which -Will in general be applied to the third and H fourth stills, 13 13, are shown in Figs. 4 and 5 on Sheet 4. There are two dishes, 42, in each still, each being made with a curved bottom nearly cohcentriclwith the bottom of the still, While there are vertical ends and anearly-veri5 tical side along the inner part of each, there being a middle space, 43, between the two dishes. 7 The dishes 42' are jointed to straps or hinges 44, riveted to the sidesof the still, and are supported by feet 45, rings or shackles be- 2o ing jointed to them for the attachment of chains by which the dishes can be turned up for cleaning purposes. At the lower part of the middle space, 43, between the dishes42,

there isa longitudinal steanrpip'e, 46, which 2 5 has perforations made along the lower part of each side' Theoil iucirculating passes down the middle space, 43, hetweenthe dishes 42, and being aided by the steam-jets from the pipe 46, passes under the dishes 42 and up the sides of the still, the non-volatilized portions returning downward above the dishes 42 and toward the middle space, 43. As the circulating currents are at their slowest while passing over the dishes .42, the coke which separatcs from the oil tends to'be deposited'in ;--the dishes instead of on the bottom of the still, and it canberexnoved from the dishes periodically.

As hereinhefore mentioned, the oil fed or aosupplied to the first still, 11, or some of that oil,instead of being heat-ed by the feed-heaters 26may be heated, by passing through a pipe, 47, Iedthrcngh the third or fourth stills, 13 or vor plates therein to receive the coke, and hav- \Vha-t I claim as my invention is-- 1. The combination of the still and itsinlet and outlet pipes, having the usual stop-cocks outside the still, with weighted valves 20, applied to the said pipes within the still,and having handles extending to the outside, all substantially as specifier I 2. In combination with the set of three connected stills working at graduated temperatures, the feed-heaters consisting each of an outer pipe, through which the vapor from the still is passed, and which has within it a pipe having a closed inner end and fixed by its outer end, and outlet pipes for the feed-oil are inserted, substantially as hereinbefore-described.

3. The dishes or plates 42, arranged to pr0- mote-circulation in the still, and also to re 0n leaving the third or 5 through which outer end inlet ceive the coke, the said dishes being hinged at their outer sides, and having a space he tween each and the bottom of the still, and

two dishes, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.

4. .The combination of the still with dishes ing a longitudinal space between them, anda perforated steam-pipe to promote circulation around said dishes, substantially as set forth. 1

In testimony whereofl have signed my a N'M. nnnnnnsou lVitnesses: l

EDMUND HUNT, Davin FERGUSON.

nameto this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

7o also a central longitudinal space between the 

